Sharper Image SA260 Mini Audio System

The Sharper Image SA-260 is a nice unit, especially if you can buy it for less than the original $299 price tag.

This unit replaced the SA-248. It is better in some ways.
Unit features the 3 individual CD drives as did its predecessor. I like the 3 individual drives for a couple of reasons. It cost more to build, so you are getting more bang for your buck. Also, having 3 independent Cd drives means you have 3 laser pick-ups. Not so with conventional multi-CD units which might feature elevator or turntable tray exchange systems. If those systems' CD pick-ups break down, your out-of-luck. Not so with the individual Cd drive units in this Sharper Image product.

Speaker systems are attachable or detachable. That means this unit can be carried from room to room with its speakers and base stand connected. That's a great feature if you like listening to your music on your patio, den, study, or playing it for your baby while they sleep, etc.
This unit features a built-in recessed handle in the top-rear of the unit for easy portability.

Speakers are called 3-way types, but I wouldn't take that so literally. The woofers are decent and deliver some decent bass tones. They are approx 5.25 inches in diameter and feature foam-roll surrounds and an unusally shaped dust cap. The tweeter is a cone type loaded into a shallow horn configuration. This may improve the tweeters off-axis output and thus the system's imaging. I can't really say for sure that I heard such a difference. The so-called super tweeter is really just a small piezo disc with a type of dome on it. In all my years of owning hi-fi equipment, I have come to expect little to nothing from such devices. Real Piezo horns can work quite well, but those little Piezo discs found on boomboxes and lower cost speakers are not of much use and do not deliver much, if any sound.

I like the pedestal type stand. It can be attached to the bottom of this unit, therefore it can be carried from room to room with the unit intact. The base gives a sleek modern appearance and also raises the entire unit and slightly angles it to improve sound, imaging and reduce the muddying effects that can be caused by the speakers being placed too close to the floor.

The remote is the new slim type which is also very popular these days, and it uses a lithium battery which should last a long time, as opposed to AA and AAA batteries used in most remotes.

This system comes with 3 choices of grill covers which can be easily removed and changed. I like that the grill cloths can be removed. That way you can actually see the speaker elements. Sometimes the grill cloths inhibit the sound output of the speakers.

I was a little disappointed with the tone controls. The old unit featured separate Bass/Treble while this unit only features several pre-set eq settings such as "rock, jazz" etc. Bass boost is still an option and it works well. Surround Sound also is a simple on/off type. Again, I thought the old system's Surround Sound was more useful and functional.

I think this system has better speakers and better bass output.

A subwoofer output jack is again provided for use with an optional powered subwoofer. When a subwoofer is included, this system will sound quite good.

I did not see any improvement with the so-called CD compartment lights. I still think they are over-rated and rather useless.

I don't play mp3 type CDs so I can't comment on that. Sorry. I don't like compression of the music. I don't like compressing the output of my home theater system either. I can hear the difference.

This is a nice system with a nice sound. Good midrange, sharp highs and decent bass considering its slim speaker cabinets. Features are nice. Sharp looks. If you can find it for less than the $299 price tag, it is worth considering. it's very high-tech and also is portable to an extent.